“Just as we have risen to the occasion at every moment, from the night of the 18th, we will interpret the results, assume the responsibilities that the Portuguese people wish to entrust to us, and declare ‘present’ to the people of Portugal. Always with one purpose: to transform the country, to change the country. For us, the status quo is not enough. For us, much more is needed for Portugal,” stated the leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL).
Rui Rocha delivered his speech from the second floor of the IL campaign bus, which he boarded to the tune of “We Will Rock You” by the British band Queen. As his speech began, a banner unfurled on the side of the bus read: “Thank you, Portugal, this time it’s liberal.”
In front of a crowd of several dozen IL members, clad in blue shirts and waving flags, Rocha emphasized the party’s core message advocating for “a successful country.” He asserted that “Portugal can be much better,” with “far more opportunities, much more growth, and many more solutions.”
“And that’s why when we see others engaged in petty politics, focusing only on the short term, we say to both the AD and the PS: our path is not yours. Our path is forward. We are not here to waste time; we are truly here to accelerate Portugal,” he declared.
Surrounded by young IL members, Rocha maintained that the party has, “throughout these weeks and months” leading to the elections, consistently “risen to the occasion.”
“Where all others failed—and they all failed—we were there at the right moment, alongside the Portuguese people, and that’s how we will continue from the 18th. It’s because we didn’t let the Portuguese down that I can say with full confidence that, on the 18th, the IL will achieve its best ever electoral results in legislative elections,” he predicted.
Reflecting on the two-week campaign that concludes today, Rui Rocha described it as “positive, with ideas, proposals, challenges, always looking to the future” and considering where “the country should be in four years.”
“Always thinking about the young people, those we’ve heard saying they find few solutions in Portugal today, always thinking about those who have carried the country on their shoulders and received nothing in return, always thinking that we can do much more,” he remarked.
At the beginning of his speech, Rui Rocha expressed gratitude to the IL volunteers dedicated to the campaign, as well as the entire party, particularly the secretary-general and campaign director, Miguel Rangel.
“But, above all, let me extend a very, very special thank you to the Portuguese people. Thank you very much, Portugal,” he said in a brief five-minute speech, which concluded with one of the key messages repeated throughout the campaign.
“The message we heard most in this campaign is the one I repeat every day and deeply believe in: ‘let’s accelerate Portugal, this time it’s liberal.’ This time it’s Portugal,” he concluded to applause from IL members, as the song “Freed from Desire” by Gala Rizzatto played, an unofficial anthem for the IL campaign, with its chorus adapted by the liberals to sing: “it’s liberal, let’s change Portugal, it’s liberal.”
The IL campaign bus, which offered free beers to passersby throughout the campaign, was parked in front of a nightclub in Braga where, following Rui Rocha’s speech, the liberals concluded their electoral campaign.
[Updated at 21:35]
